Sri Anantha Padmanabha Swamy Temple - Adyar, Chennai

Ever since the formation of two the colonies of Gandhinagar and Kasturibanagar, many residents therein expressed a keen desire to have a place of worship near at hand. At the above meeting the residents met informally expressed the view that a temple in a centre place of Adyar to be brought forth with the co-operation of all concerned. On 12th December, 1956 a society by name Adyar Hindu Religious Society was formed at the residence of Sri. A. R. Narayana Rao, #2, 2nd Crescent Park road, Gandhinagar, Adyar. A committee led by Sri. A.R. Narayana Rao approached His Highness Maharaja of Travancore, Sri Padmanabha Daasa Chithirai Thirunaall at the palace in Adyar and requested him to allot a place in his vast compound near the bus stand for constructing the temple. His highness promptly encouraged the idea that the temple and suggested that it be situated in an independent premises outside the palace and that he would himself provide necessary funds to purchase a site. Accordingly the above society received a cheque for Rs. 7500 from His Highness to enable the committee to obtain a suitable site and establish a temple dedicated to SRIANANTHA PADMANABHA SWAMY.

SriKanchi Sri Sri Paramacharial offered powerful "yanthras" for the temple which was installed by Sri Sringeri SriSaradha Peedathipathi Sri Sri Abhinava Vidyatheertha Mahaswamigal during the installation of the main deities in 1962 (the 1st MahaKumbhabhishekam of the temple). On Dhivakara Maharishi's will, Sri Padmanabha shrunk himself to a smaller form. The Lord also told the sage that he should be worshipped through three doors. Through the first door, we can have the Darshanam of the Thirumukhamandalam (face) of SriPadmanabha and Lord Shiva under His Thirukaram (hand), through the second door we can worship Lord Brahma seated in a lotus that is originating from the navel of the lord, and through the third we can worship the Lord's Thirupaadham (lotus feet) which are the ultimate destination of every soul.

These three doors have a lot of significance to the life of people. The three doors symbolize the birth, life and the death of a person. . The 1st door represents 'Sthithi' (the preservation) as it is said that the Lord being the mother of every soul protects his children (souls) by his divine glance and we can see the Lords Thirumukhamandalam (face-eyes) through this door. The 2nd door is considered to represent 'Shrishti' (the creation) as all life originates from Lord Brahma and he is seen through this door. The 3rd door represents the final part of human life as after leaving the body, the soul reaches the Lord's lotus feet. We can see Brahma worship SriPadmanabha from the navel lotus along with all the Devas. The presence of Lord Shiva under the hands of SriPadmanabha is said to be related to the story of Lord Vishnu vanquishing the demon Keshi. Some also say that it is related to the story of the demon Bhasmasura. Thus to symbolize the protection of Lord Shiva, we can see the Shivalinga under the hands of the Lord SriPadmanabha (SriPadmanabha Daasa Maharaja Swathi Thirunaall says this in his Keerthanam "Chinthayaami the padhaneeraruham" as "Anthakaari Kamalaasana Sevitha"). 33 crore demi-gods along with the Navagrahas are also bowing before the Supreme Lord SriPadmanabha inside the sanctum sanctorum. One can also have the Darshan of sage Bhrigu and sage Markandeya as well as SriDevi and Bhoomi Devi inside the sanctum sanctorum. There are Separate shrines for Lord Vinayagar, Garuda, Anjaneya, Sudharshana, LakshmiNarasihma, Ashtadasabhuja MahaDurga and the Navagrahas in the temple.

Other temples we can find near this temple are Sri Sundhara Vinayaka temple and Sri Mookambika temple. The Mookambika Temple is one of the few temples dedicated to Mother Kollur Mookambika in Chennai. Thai Mookambika sports various divine forms of MahaSaraswathi, DurgaParameshwari, MahaLakshmi, Annapoorneshwari, Meenakshi, etc everyday and showers her grace on all devotees. It is really a pleasure for our eyes to witness the gracefeful form of this Goddess. There are special Poojas of Sangaabishekem and Ekadasa Rudra Parayanam on Pournami days here. Special Poojas are also performed for the Supreme Mother during the Navarathri days. The SriSundharaVinayaka temple has shrines for Vinayaka, Muruga and the Navagrahas. One can also find a small shrine for MaariAmman in the side of SriPadmanabhaSwamy temple. Thus this area is being a place of divinity and serenity where devotees from distant places keep thronging throughout the day.

His Highness Maharaja of Travancore agreed very kindly to donate the image or Vigaraha of SRANANTHAPADMANABHA SWAMY as it existed as the replica of SRIANANTHA PADMANABHA SWAMY of Trivandrum. His Holiness Shankaracharya of Sri Kanchi Kamakoti Peetam visited the site, blessed the venture and consecrated the spot. It was also his desire that there may be only one temple that the main shrine to be dedicated to SRIANANTHAPADMANABHA SWAMY as portrayed exactly in Trivandrum. Sri Padmanabha Swamy Temple at Thiruvanathapuram is a Divya Desam. According to a legend, a saint by name Divakar Yogi used to perform puja to a Saligramam stone in this sthalam. When his devoted sadhana reached the final stage, Sri Vishnu came there as a little child and acting mischieviously took the Saligramam and ran away from that place. The saint was angry and chased the child to get back the Saligramam. After a long chase, the small child went inside a big hole of a tree. The tree fell down and Sri Vishnu gave His darshan reclining on Anantha as Anantha Padmanabha Swamy.

Adyar or Adayar is a large neighbourhood in south Chennai (formerly Madras), Tamil Nadu, India. It is located on the southern banks of the Adyar River. It is bounded by the Buckingham Canal to the west, Tiruvanmiyur to the south, and Besant Nagar to the east. Adyar is one of the costliest areas in Chennai with property values four times the value of similar sized properties in the northern part of Chennai. The neighbourhood gets its name from the Adyar River which flows through its northern limits. Adyar and the neighbouring Guindy had been used as hunting grounds by British officials of Fort St. George from the 1680s onwards though Adyar is first mentioned as a suburb of Madras only in a map from the year 1740 when the British purchased the village and integrated it with the Madras Presidency.
Adyar started to grow rapidly at the turn of the 20th century following the founding of the headquarters of the Theosophical Society by Madam Blavatsky here in 1883. Following the establishment of the Theosophical Society headquarters, the Kalakshetra, a cultural organisation to promote traditional arts and culture was established by Rukmini Devi Arundale at Adyar in 1936. The 1931 census records Adyar as a zamindari village in Chingleput district. Adyar was included within the Chennai Corporation limits in 1948. A typical scene of charming Adyar, 1905. "Courtesy of Special Collections, University of Houston Libraries."

Chennai, formerly known as Madras or Madrasapattinam, is the capital city of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, located on the Coromandel Coast off the Bay of Bengal. Chennai is the fourth most populous metropolitan area and the sixth most populous city in India. As of 2011, the Chennai Metropolitan Area had a population of nine million. Chennai's economy has a broad industrial base in the automobile, computer, technology, hardware manufacturing and healthcare industries. The city is India's second largest exporter of software, information technology (IT). A major chunk of India's automobile manufacturing industry is based in and around the city, which leads it to be called as 'The Detroit of Asia'. The city is also called as 'Gateway to South India', due to its importance as a port city and its major role in South India's development. Chennai is an important centre for Carnatic music and hosts a large cultural event, the annual Madras Music Season, which includes performances by hundreds of artists. The city has a vibrant theatre scene and is an important centre for the Bharata Natyam, a classical dance form. The Tamil film industry, the second largest film industry in India, is based in Chennai.

Some of low resolution photos are taken from open sources for additional information purpose as camera is not allowed inside this temple